Wellness

UW School of Law emphasizes the health and well-being of our students, staff and faculty. We support the emotional well-being of our students by supporting an environment that provides the tools, resources and support needed for a healthier lifestyle.

Dimensions of Wellness

Wellness is framed by the following seven different areas:

Physical
Physical wellness is the health of your body, including diet and exercise. Are you leading a healthy lifestyle? Do you have a healthy diet? Do you exercise? Do you smoke? Do you take any drugs or drink alcohol? This is what we usually think of when we envision wellness.

Mental
Mental wellness is your ability to cope with stress, anxiety, and other challenges of life in a healthy way. When something negative happens in your life or you feel overwhelmed, how do you react?

Financial
Financial wellness is having control over your finances at the present while also preparing for the future. Do you have a lot of debt? Do you follow a budget?

Spiritual
Spiritual wellness is connecting with our spirituality or religious beliefs. Spiritual wellness does not necessarily mean being religious. It can include a connection to your religious beliefs, but it can also be a sense of balance or purpose. Do you feel connected to the world around you and feel at peace with yourself?

Occupational/Social
Occupational/social wellness is feeling like your career and personal lives are balanced and that you are satisfied with both. Do you feel that your job interferes with your personal life? Are you happy with the direction your career is going?

Emotional
Emotional Wellness is being able to notice, feel, and accept your emotions in any given situation. The more aware you become of your emotions and able to communicate them effectively, the better your emotional, and overall, wellness becomes. Do you have words to describe your feelings? Do you tend to respond or react to your emotions?

Environmental
The world around you plays a big part in your health and happiness. Environmental wellness is being aware of the interactions between your environment, your community, and yourself, and choosing to create more positive relationships between them. How do you interact with nature? What are your relationships like with your surrounding community?

Counseling Resources

*Effective September 2016, bar exam applicants no longer have to affirmatively answer questions about whether they had sought treatment and therefore are fit to practice law. For more information, please visit Disability Rights Washington.

The law school experience can be stressful. At least one out of every five law students seeks counseling during the course of law school. (Keep in mind that if 1/5 law students actually seek counseling, the numbers of students who could actually benefit from counseling is likely higher.) If you are a student who may benefit from counseling, or if you simply need someone to talk to, please ask for help. It is available, and perhaps more accessible than you realized.

There are a number of professional counseling resources available to UW students. These options are both high quality and low cost. (Fees subject to change.)

If you have the student insurance plan, you may receive 15 outpatient mental health visits per policy year (10 of which must be received at Hall Health Primary Care Center or the Student Counseling Center in Schmitz Hall). For more information on student insurance coverage can be found at the UW Student Insurance Office website. You may also pick up a comprehensive coverage brochure at the Student Insurance Office, Room 468/469 Schmitz Hall, (206) 543-6202.

In addition to outside resources, the law school has a mental health professional on call; services are free of charge to law students. For both financial and workload reasons, our doctor accepts clients on a referral basis. Please see the Dean of Students for a referral.

The law school community cares about its students. If you need help, ask one of your professors, ask an administrator, ask your peers, or ask your SBA representatives. We all care.

For non-emergencies, students may contact the Dean for Students at LawDFS@uw.edu for a confidential meeting.